Corn-husking machine.



G. W. & 0. HENDERSON.

CORN HUSKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1912.

1,0?1,416. Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

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Attorneys G. W. & O. HENDERSON. I

CORN HUSKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1912.

1,071,4 1 6, Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

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GOBN-HUSKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application med June 1, 1012. Serial no. 7o1 ,o2, e.

{the county of Vermilion, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Ccrn-Husking Machine, of which the following is a specification. 5

This invention relates to machines for d gathering and husking corn, one of its obects being to provide a machine of this character which will gather the corn without danger of snap ing off the ears and dropping them on t e .ground before they have Another object is to provide improved means for snapping the ears from the stalks and depositing them upon the husking rolls.

A further cb'ect is to provide means whereby the mac ine can be' readily adjusted vertically so as to properly engagethe corn to be harvested. I

A further object is to provide a machine of this character which is light and durable in construction and which is easy to manipulate. 1

With the foregoing and other objects in wiew which will appear as the descriptiorf proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of partsand in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionherein disclosed can bemade- {5 [within the scope ofwhat is claimed, without departing from the spiritof the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the pre ferred form of the invention has een shown. In said drawings :Figure 1 is a plan ltlfviewof the machine, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 .is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation. Fig. 4 is an elevation of that side of the machine opposite to the side. shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a front elevation.

4 Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the 'snapping mechanism. Fig. 7 is a View partly in sectionand partly 1n elevation of one of the bearings of the snapping roller. Fig. 8 is a detail view of a portion of the gearing. Fig. 9 is a detail view of another portion of the gearing.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates the base frame of the machine, the same being provided at its sides with guides 2 having arcuate slots 3, one

of the walls of each slot being formed with PatentedAug.-2 6,1913L rackteeth 4which are 'ada ted be engaged by a gear 5. Each 0 these 'gears'is outed adjacent each side of the machine as shown in Fig. 1 and it will be apparent that by rotating .the rods, thewormwheels 6 can be rotated andthe gears 5 can be caused to travel 1 upwardly or downwardly within the slots 3. These worm wheels 6-and gears 5 are secured to axles 9 and 10.respectively WlllCh are held normally against rotation by the worm wheel 6 and the worm 7. A sup- 'mac inc. 1 One of theserods is of course 10- porting wheel 11 is mounted for rotation on the axle 10 and a maindrive wheel '12 is mounted for rotation on the axle 9, this wheel 12 being provided with a large drive. sprocket 13 secured thereto and adapted torotate therewithw This sprocket transmits motionthrough a' chain '14 to arsprocket 15' loosely mounted on a transversely extending shaft 16 journaled on the frame 1. A clutch 17 under. the control of the driver is provided forcoupling the sprocket 15 to or uncoupling it from theshaft 16. This clutch i'nay be operated in any suitable manner, as

by means ofa lever 18. A counter shaft 19 is journaled' on and extends transversely of.

the frame 1 and receives motion, through gears 20 and 21 from the shaft 16, said counter shaft being provided, at each end, with afly wheel 22. a

Extending forwardly from the frame 1 are diverging gathering members 23 and 24 the inner or active faces of which are preferably formed of sheet metal and diverge upwardly as well as forwardly. A stalk receiving throat 25 is formed between the rear portions of the gathering devices 23 and 24: and arranged within the frame 1 and back of the lower portion of this throat is a transversely extending roller'26 adapted to engage the stalks after the ears have been snapped therefrom and to press the stalks downwardly out of the path of the machine.

A sprocket 27 is secured to and rotates with the shaft' lfi and transmits motion, through a chain 28, to another sprocket 29 secured to a short transverse shaft 30 towhich is secured a bevel gear 31. Thisbevel gear drives another gear 32 secured to a vertical shaft 33 located back of and at one side of the throat 25. A sprocket 3%]. is

ing the corn stalks and drawing lwardly toward the throat 25.

A sprocket 38 is secured to and rotates with shaft 16 and transmits motion through a chain 39 to another sprocket 40 secured to one end of a transverse shaft 41. This shaft has a gear 42 which meshes with and is adapted to actuate another gear 43 connected to a vertical shaft 44, there being a sprocket 45 secured to said shaft and which is adapted to drive a drag chain 46 which extends along the inner or advancing edge of the gathering member 24 and has outstanding stalk engaging teeth 47. 4 Guide sprockets 48 are arranged at suitable points upon the gathering device 24 so as to hold the chain 46 in proper position while operating. It is to be understood that the shafts 33 and 44 are located at opposite sides of the throat 25 and that, by providing mechanism such as described, the two chains 35 and 46 travel in opposite directions simultaneously.

A bevel gear 49 is secured to and rotates with the shaft 16 and meshes with a bevel gear 50 secured to a vertical shaft 51. This shaft has sprockets 52 secured thereto which engage chains 53 forming parts of an endless apron 54, said chains being connected by parallel vertical slats 55. The chains 53 are also mounted on sprockets 56 secured to another vertical shaft 57 located back of and close to the throat 25. The upstanding apron 54 extends rearwardly from one side of the throat and it will be apparent that by providing the mechanism described, the inner or active flight of this apron will move rearwardly.

A hearing block 58 is arranged close to the front end portion of the apron 54 and adjacent the lower edge of the apron, this block being connected to one end of a rod 59 which is mounted to slide within a guide casing 60 extending transversely of the machine. A spring 61 is housed within the casing and bears against rod 59 so as to hold the block 58 normally pressed yieldingly toward the apron 54. The tension of spring 61 can be increased as desired by means of a threaded stem 62 mounted in one end of the casing '60.

J ournaled within the block 58 is the lower end of a shaft 63 carrying a snapping roller 64 the lower end of which is tapered, as shown particularly in Fig. 6. This shaft, and the snapping roller, are extended upwardly and rearwardly close to the apron 54, the upper end portion of the shaft being provided with a bevel gear 65 receiving motion, through a gear 66 from a shaft 67 mounted on the superstructure 68 of the machine. This shaft 67 has a sprocket 69 secured thereto which receives motion,through a chain 7 0, from a sprocket 71 secured to the counter shaft 19. Thus it will be seen that, as the machine moves forward, the snapping roller 64 which is provided with a spiral.

rib 7 2, Will 0043 erate with the rearwardl j moving flight o the apron 54, to remove the cars from the stalks and drop them" into meshes with the spur gear 20. The frontends of the shafts of the husking rollers-7 3 and 74 are provided with meshing gears 79 so that the two rolls are caused to revolve.

simultaneously in opposite directions, the

ribs thereon engaging the husks and removing them from the cars. A spout 8O serves to discharge the husked ears into a hopper 81 located at the Jaack end of the machine and from which extends an elevator casing 82 which projects upwardly and laterally. An elevator belt 83 is movably mounted within the casing 82 and is preferably formed with slats 84 for engaging the ears and carrying them upwardly to the point of discharge. If desired, and as shown in Fig. 3, the elevator casing 82 can be made up of two sections hingedly connected as shown at 85 so that the said elevator casing can thus be folded into a compact space when the machine is not in use. The means provided for actuating the elevator belt consists of a shaft 86 having a roller or the like such as shown at 87 for driving the apron or belt 83. A gear 88 is secured to the shaft 86 and meshes with another gear 89 carried by a shaft 90 which receives motion, through gears 91 and 92-from the shaft 77.

For the purpose of protecting the -working parts of the machine and preventing injury to the driver, an elongated yoke 93 is erected at the rear ends of the gathering de-' vices 23 and 24 and supports a hood 94 which, extends rearwardly over the snappin O apron 54 and the snapping roller 64 and also extends downwardly so as to completely house the side portions of the snapping and husking mechanism.

A latform 95 is arranged at one side of the machine and the drivers seat 96 is mounted thereon. 'A draft tongue 97 is connected to the front end of the machine close to the pl-atform 95 and a drawrod 98 conneots the tongue to the middle portion of the front end of frame 1. The draw rod and the' tongue are pivotally connected to the frame and an arm 99 extends rear-wardly from the "tongue 97 and is pivotally connected, as by means of a link 100, to an arm 101 extending from the lower end of an adjusting lever 102 which is arranged close to the seat 96 whereit can be conveniently reached and actuated by the driver. It will be apparent that by manipulating this lever the tongue 97 can be swung vertically relative to the frame 1 and the gathering devices 23 and 24 thus raised or lowered at their front ends so yasto engage and lift the stalks. By providing the adjusting mechanism shown at 2, 3, and 4 to 8, the entire machine can be raised or lowered so that it can be operated with its bottom parallel with the ground.

This adjustment is especially advantageous where the machine is to be used in a field of fallen stalks.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that, asthe machine is drawn forward, the wheel 12 will operate the various parts of the mechanism provided the clutch l7is in engagement with the clutch member on the sprocket 15 so as to couple said sprocket to the shaft 16. The teeth on the drag chains 35 and 46 will engage the stalks and draw them backw'ardly between the gathering devices 23 and 24 and said stalks will enter the space between the lower tapered end of the snapping roller 64' and the snapping apron- 54. As the stalks move rearwardly relative tothese parts, the spiral ribs on the snapping roller will cooperate with the slats on the apron 54 so as to remove the ears from the stalks. The stalks will then comeagainst the roller 26 and will be forced downwardly thereby from between the snapping roll and the apron 54 so .as to permit the machine to pass over them. The cars, when detached, will fall onto the husking rolls73 and 74 and the husked ears will be discharged from these rolls into the hopper 81 from which they will be conveyed by the belt or apron 83 to the point of discharge .at one side of the machine.

What is claimed is:-- Y a 1. A corn harvester including gathering devices forming a throat therebetween, an upstanding endless apron extending rearwardly from one side of'the throat, and a snapping roll said roll and apron cooperating simultaneously to engage opposed portions of an ear. I

2. A corn harvesting machine including gathering devices forming a throat therebetween, an endless apron arranged vertically back of the throat. the active flight of the apron being movablerearwardly from the throat, a snapping roll extending up wardly adjacent to and cooperating with a vertical face of the apron and means for actuating the apron and rotating the snapping roll.

3. A corn harvesting machine including gathering devices forming a throat therebetween, an endless apron arranged vertically. back of the throat, the active flight of the apron being movable rearwardly from the throat, an upwardly and rearw'ardlyinclined snapping roll extending upwardly adjacent to and cooperating with, a vertical face of the apron and meansfor actuating the apron and rotatingthe snapp ngrolln 4. A corn harvesting machine including gathering devices forming a threat there; between, an endless apron arranged vert1-.

wardly, and rearwardlyinclined snapping roll adjacent to and cooperating with avertical face of the apron and means for actuating the apron and rotating the snapping roll.

6. A corn devices, a snapping apron having its active flight normally vertical; and movable rearwardly from the gathering 'devices,;an: upwardly and rearwardlyhinclined snapping tical face of the apron-,;1nea-nsfor-pressing the forward end ofsaid .r'oll yieldingly toward the apron and means'for actuating the apron and rotating ithehsnapping rolll 7. A, corn harvester .includingcgathefing devices, a snapping apron hav'ing its'actiVe flight normally ve'rticaliand movable"retrwardly from the gathering devices, an upwardly and rearwardlv -ii iclined snapping aauda' gathering harvester u including'gathering T djacent to and cooperatingwith. a; y i

roll adjacent to and cotiperatingwith a ver-.

tical face of the apron, means for pressing the forward end of saidroll yieldingly toward the apron, 1 saidend of the roll* being tapered and cooperating with the apronto form a tapered'stalk receiving spaceand means for actuating the apron androtating the snapping roll.

8. A corn harvester including gathering devices forming a throat therebetweenjo'p positely moving drag chains carried by. the

respective devices for directing stalks into the throat, a vertical snapping apron "extending from the throat, the active flight of the apron being movable rearwardly from said throat, an upwardly'and rearwardly in clined snapping roll adjacent to and cooperating with the active face of said flight 25 simultaneously and means for actuating the apron androtating the snapping roll.

9. A corn harvester including rearwardly converging gathering devices -forming a v stalk recelvmg throat, drag chains carried b said devices for directing stalks into the tli roat, a vertical endless apron back of the throat, the active flight of the apron being movable rearwardly from the throat, said' snapping roll.

10. A corn harvester including rear wardly converging gathering devices forming astalk recelving throat, means for directing Stalks into the throat, a snapping apron having vertical slats movable rearwardly from the throat, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined snapping roll adjacent to a and cooperating with the vertical face of .the active flight ofthe apron, and means for actuating the apron and rotating said roll.

11. A corn harvester including rearwardly converging gathering devices forming a stalk receiving throat, means for directing stalks into the throat, a snapping apron having vertical slats movable rearwardly from t the throat, a upwardlyand rearwardly i'nclined snapplng roll adjacent to and cooperating wlth the vertical'face of the active flight of the apron, and means operated by the forward movement of the machine, for simultaneously actuating the apron and rotating the roll.

12. A corn harvester including rearwardly 40 converging gathering devices forming a f s glk fecelving throat, means for directing istalks into the throat, a snapping apron havmg vertical slats movable rearwardly from the throat, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined snapping roll adjacent to and cooperating with a vertical face of the active flight of the aprqn, yielding means for automatically pressing the snapping roll toward the'actlve flight of the apron and means for actuating the apron and rotating the snapping roll.

13. Acorn harvester including rearwardly converging gathering devices forming a throat therebetween, means for directing stalks into the throat, a. snapping apron having vertically disposed slats, the active flight of the apron being movable rearwardly from I the throat, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined snapping rolladjacent to 'and coopcrating with the vertical face of the active flight of the apron, means for actuating the apron and rotating said roll, and cooperating husking rolls below and adapted to receive ears from the snapping roll. w

14. A corn harvester including rearwardly converging gathering devices forming a throat therebetween, an endless snapping apron having a normally vertical active flight movable rearwardly from the throat, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined snapping roll adjacent toand cooperating with the vertical face of said flight, coiiperating husking rolls below and at one side of the snapping roll for receiving ears therefrom, an elevator, means for directing cars from the husking rolls to the elevator and means for actuating the apron and rotating the snapping roll.

15. A corn harvester including supporting wheels, a frame carried thereby, means for adjusting the frame vertically relative to the wheels, gathering devices carried by the frame and converging rearwardly to form a throat, an endless snapping apron having.v a vertical rearwardly moving flight back of the throat, a rearwardly and upwardly inclined snapping r0l l adjacent to and cooperating with the vertical face of the active flight of said apron, and means operated by one of said supporting wheels for simultanefiusly actuating the apron and snapping ro 16. In a corn harvester the combination with supporting wheels, and a frame carried thereby, of a draft tongue pivotally connected to the frame, gathering devices extending forwardly from the frame and converging rearwardly to form a stalk receiving threat, a snapping apron having a vertical rearwardly movable active flight, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined snapping roll adjacent to and cooperating with the vertical face of said flight, means under the control of the driver for swinging the frame and tongue relative to each other to adjust 1055 the gathering devices angularly relative to the surface on which the machine is mounted and means for actuating the apron and rotating the snapping roll.

In testimony thatwe claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto aflixed our signatures in thepresence of two witnesses.

- GEORGE w. HENDERSON. OLEN HENDERSON.

( Witnesses:

JOHN W. Enos, EVERETT C. SMITH.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

